In the 60-year period between 1950 and 2009, China's cumulative foreign aid to the rest of the world totaled only $39 billion. By contrast, for the year 2007 the U.S. had a total foreign operations budget of more than $26 billion.

We arrive at a community of 100 tents situated in a circle. I'm prepared for the kinds of camps we've seen previously: hundreds of tarpaulins lined side by side. This community, in contrast, has been created on a human scale.

Sabiha remembers the sense of panic among people in Shikarpur who were terrified by the threat of floods. Her neighbors trusted her, and lives were saved. "I realize what it means to be brave," she said.

If Secretary Clinton is serious about resetting America's relationship with Pakistan, it is imperative that the administration uses all the tools at its disposal. Simply throwing more money at the problem will not solve the critical issues.